Israeli guitarist, singer and songwriter Bat-Or Kalo fronts her eponymous trio and also travels and tours the U.S. and Israel solo (wearing only her last name and her vintage Gibson electric guitar). Fiery, unbridled and electrifying, KALO’s guitar chops and contralto voice belie her small frame with a sound like Howlin' Wolf or Muddy Waters on steroids.

Within the past two years, KALO has opened for Los Angeles-based rocker Andy Frasco, the godfather of British blues, John Mayall, Texas guitar phenom Chris Duarte and others. KALO has shared billing with acts like Avett Brothers, Robert Randolph & the Family Band and many more.

Within the past two years, KALO has opened for Los Angeles-based rocker Andy Frasco, the godfather of British blues, John Mayall, Texas guitar phenom Chris Duarte and others. KALO has shared billing with acts like Avett Brothers, Robert Randolph & the Family Band and many more.

In the summer of 2017, KALO released the funky, guitar- and rhythm-laced studio album, Wild Change to much acclaim. It was fresh on the heels of Live in NYC, recorded at the renowned The Bitter End music club in New York City and released in late 2016.

Based in the Midwest for the past three years as she zigzags the country, KALO’s roots run deep and trace back to her home an ocean away in Israel. A cassette tape of Jimi Hendrix’s Are You Experienced set KALO on a musical path when she was 16 years old. In 2009, that path stretched across the Atlantic when KALO left Israel to soak herself in American music, the sounds of Hendrix, Jim Morrison, John Lee Hooker, Nina Simone and Elvis calling.

After completing her classical and jazz guitar studies in Oklahoma, she briefly returned home to record her jazz-imbued Flesh & Bones in Tel-Aviv. Afterward, KALO moved to New York to hone her skills as a live performer, frequenting stages like The Bitter End, Arlene’s Grocery, Rockwood Music Hall and others.

In 2012, KALO left The Big Apple to strum her guitar and write in the heart of Dixie. Her sophomore album took root in the Mississippi Delta and other southern states, where the blues tinge of Dear John began to grow. Released in 2013, the album received much critical acclaim from media around the world.

Over the next several years, KALO developed a loyal following with fevered stage shows and raw energy. Brandishing a unique and genre-bending interpretation of the blues and rock ‘n’ roll, everything about KALO is unexpected … and infectious. As Skope Magazine put it, “There’s a truth, pure and simple ... that leaves you wanting more.”

There’s a truth, pure and simple ... that leaves you wanting more. 

— Skope Magazine

Bat-Or Kalo

Born in Haifa, Israel, Bat-Or Kalo previously lived in New York City, playing as a guitarist in funk and fusion bands in NYC, including with the Dave Kolker band and others. Her preferred guitar is her vintage 1950s Gibson Deluxe , but she's also known to pick up a Joel Edison resonator. While she's exclusively been a musician while living in the United States, she's also done stints in the Israeli army, in a sushi restaurant and bakery in Tel Aviv and various other jobs she didn't like nearly as much as playing her guitar. A graduate of Oklahoma City University's music program, you can sometimes see her face in the creative designs of her friend and collaborator Todd E. Clark from Skyline Media in Oklahoma City.

Chad Roper (bass)

Chad Roper has played in many musical capacities his entire adult life. He's worked with bands such as Aranda and Color Me Badd, and artists such as Bryan Abrams, Brennin Hunt, Shane Henry, Tom Duckett and others. His preferred axe is a '97 American Fender Jazz Deluxe 4 Fretless, with a Moses Graphite neck and EMG-X pickups. He exclusively plays Aurora Strings (www.stringsbyaurora.com). As a side note, you can also hear his voice in western Oklahoma as a morning drive rock jock on 94.3 FM (KOOL 94).

Mike Alexander (drums)

Mike Alexander was born and raised in Choctaw, Oklahoma, and has been behind the drums since the age of 12. He graduated with a bachelor's degree in music performance from the University of Central Oklahoma, where he performed with the various jazz ensembles, as well as the marching band, orchestra and wind ensemble. While attending college he played with the swing-era throwback, Martini Kings. After graduating college, he has performed regionally and nationally with acts such as Liquid Bread, Hurricane Jane, Time Machine, Superfreak, Revel and Albert Aguilar, to name a few. He has also spent a considerable amount of time during and following college teaching private drum lessons and has been known to mentor an aspiring drummer or two (some of whom you can see in up-and-coming Oklahoma bands.)

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